The present invention relates to a method of providing a dial-in function in telecommunication systems (TC systems) that have no direct dial-in capability to extensions using dedicated extension numbers.
TC systems for home use are usually connected to a single exchange terminal and distribute incoming calls according to a fixed-programmed scheme to the extension terminals of the TC system. In this manner, incoming calls may be forwarded to all extensions or to a single pre-selected extension, for example. Differentiated forwarding using extension dialing with an extended number has not been possible. This situation was remedied, to a certain extent, by the introduction of the ISDN feature MSN (multi-subscriber number), where a minimum of three and a maximum of 12 numbers are assigned to one ISDN access terminal. This method, however, assumes the presence of ISDN access lines and involves extra costs when more than three numbers are used.
Another disadvantage of the related art is that when a connection cannot be established because none of the extensions answers the call (absence), a message can only be left if an answering machine has been connected to the TC system.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make possible direct dial-in with TC systems having no direct dial-in capability. The present invention provides both a method and a device to accomplish this object.
The present invention provides a method for establishing a dial-in function in communication systems (TC systems) that have no direct dial-in capability to extensions using dedicated extension numbers with the following features:
1.1 An incoming telecommunication call is automatically received by the TC system.
1.2 An audio user guide refers the caller to the direct dialing or extension dial-in function and prompts the user to enter extension dialing commands.
1.3 The extension dialing commands are multifrequency-coded signals or signals entered via voice, which contain an identifier uniquely assigned to an extension to be dialed, such as the extension number or the name of the user of the corresponding terminal device.
1.4 The extension dialing command entered is transmitted to the TC in the same way as a voice signal.
1.5.1 The extension dialing command input as a multifrequency-coded signal is converted into an electronic forwarding signal containing an electronic identifier of the extension to be dialed, or
1.5.2 The extension dialing command input as a voice command is converted into an electronic forwarding signal by associating the voice pattern with a predefined voice pattern associated with the extension, and an electronic forwarding signal containing an electronic identifier of the extension to be dialed is generated.
1.6 Manual forwarding via input of a keyboard command at a terminal device of the TC system is electronically simulated by the forwarding signal and thus causes the TC system to route the connection to the extension corresponding to the extension dialing command.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a device for establishing a dial-in function in communication systems (TC systems) that have no direct dial-in capability characterized by:
5.1 a sequencing control (3, 3xe2x80x2) and
5.2 a recognition unit (4, 4xe2x80x2, 4xe2x80x3),
with
5.1.1 the sequencing control (3, 3xe2x80x2) emitting a control signal upon receiving a call, which causes the TC system to establish the connection;
5.1.2 the sequencing control (3, 3xe2x80x2) causing caller text prompts, stored in a memory (5xe2x80x2) for voice components, to be output to the caller;
5.1.3 and the sequencing control (3, 3xe2x80x2) converting the control signal transmitted by the recognition unit (4, 4xe2x80x2, 4xe2x80x3) and containing an electronic identifier of the extension to be dialed, into a forwarding signal, which corresponds to the signal generated in manual forwarding within the TC system; and with
5.2.1 the recognition unit (4, 4xe2x80x2, 4xe2x80x3) containing a multifrequency receiver (21), which converts the extension dialing command input as a multifrequency-coded signal, which contains the identifier of the extension selected in electronic form, into a control signal, and transmits it to the sequencing control;
or
5.2.2 the recognition unit (4, 4xe2x80x2, 4xe2x80x3) containing a voice recognition device (22), which compares the voice signal corresponding to the extension dialing command input as a voice command with a predefined voice pattern associated with a given extension and stored in a memory in a digital form, assigns the extension whose associated voice pattern has the greatest agreement with the voice signal to the extension dialing command or the voice command, and generates a control signal containing an electronic identifier of this recognized extension and forwards it to the sequencing control.
The sequencing control emits a control signal causing the TC system to establish a connection with the caller when an incoming call is received. After the connection has been established, the sequencing control causes text prompts, stored in a voice module memory, to be output. These voice modules refer the caller to the extension dialing function and prompt the user to input the appropriate extension dialing commands. The text prompts are preferably user-defined with the caller being told which person can be reached at which extension and what extension dialing command should be input for this purpose. The extension dialing command can be input as a multifrequency-coded signal generated via keyboard (i.e., phone number button) entry at the caller""s terminal and forwarded to the TC system called in the same way as a voice signal. As an alternative, the extension dialing command can be a voice signal, i.e., spoken words, which are also transmitted, in a known manner, to the TC system. To receive and convert these multifrequency-coded signals or voice signals, the recognition unit has a multifrequency receiver and/or a voice recognition unit.
The multifrequency receiver converts the signal input as a multifrequency-coded signal into an electronic control signal, which is usually a digital signal, in a known manner and transmits it to the sequencing control. Since the extension dialing commands contain an identifier uniquely assigned to an extension to be dialed, the converted control signal also contains the identifier of the extension dialed in electronic form.
In the case of extension dialing commands, the extension dialing command is sent to the voice recognition unit as a voice signal, preferably after being digitized and compared there with the predefined voice pattern stored in a memory in a digital form and associated with an extension. The extension whose associated voice pattern shows the highest degree of agreement with that of the extension dialing command is then assigned to the extension dialing command. The voice recognition unit forwards the result of the recognition, in electronic form as a control signal, usually a digital signal, to the sequencing control. The sequencing control converts the signal transmitted by the voice recognition unit, which contains an electronic identifier of the extension to be dialed, into a forwarding signal. This forwarding signal is selected so that it corresponds to the signal that is generated within the TC system when forwarding is done manually. This forwarding signal also includes the xe2x80x9cswitch throughxe2x80x9d control signal and the extension number that has been recognized. With such a device an extension dialing function is provided according to the present invention and thus a dial-in function is simulated with the connection being forwarded or established by the TC system in a known manner after it has received the forwarding signal. The switching matrix of the TC system grounds the incoming external call, for example, attempts to establish a connection with the desired extension, and links the external connection to the connection of the extension if the phone is picked up at that extension.
In a refinement of the method, the original status prior to forwarding is automatically re-established if the forwarded connection is not answered within a predefined period of time or after a predefined number of rings, i.e., the extension does not respond. Then the steps of communication and prompting for extension dialing by inputting a certain extension identifier and/or the name of the person assigned to a certain extension, extension dialing command transmission, conversion into an electronic forwarding signal and establishing the connection to the extension corresponding to the extension dialing command are performed again. The extension to be dialed can also be an answering machine.
In another embodiment of the method, the original status that existed prior to forwarding is re-established if the forwarded connection is not answered, and the connection is automatically forwarded to an answering machine or an answering function.
According to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the answering machine memory is divided into storage areas assigned to the individual extensions. The extension for which a message is to be left can be selected by the caller by inputting a multifrequency-coded signal or a voice signal, which is converted into an electronic control signal by the recognition unit as described above and evaluated by the sequencing control. As an alternative, the message can be automatically referred to the extension to which the connection was unsuccessfully forwarded previously when the answering machine component is activated.
For security, the storage areas of the answering machine memory can be accessed from the associated extension and from other extensions after the input of an access code (PIN).
The device according to the present invention can be an integral part of a TC system, i.e., can be implemented directly in the TC system as a circuit arrangement.
However, in order to allow existing TC systems to be retrofitted with a dial-in/extension dialing function, it is advantageous if the device is designed as a module that is independent of the TC system and contains the above-described circuit arrangement. In this case the device has an interface for connection to an extension terminal of a TC system and can thus be functionally coupled to the TC system. The device is thus connected to an extension terminal of the TC system as any other terminal device such as a telephone or an answering machine. Signals are transmitted and, if required, power is supplied in the known manner via this interface. When used, this device is connected to the extension to which incoming calls are automatically routed. The TC system should in this case be programmed so that incoming calls to all the other extensions are not directly routed, but only through the device according to the present invention.
It is furthermore advantageous if the circuit arrangement according to the present invention is integrated in a telephone, with the dial-in function activated, as in the case of an answering machine, unless the connection is directly established by a user by manually answering the call at the terminal after a predefined number of rings.
According to the present invention, in TC systems that have no direct dial-in capability to the extensions via their dedicated numbers, a dial-in function can be simulated by providing an extension dialing function.